31 December 2020
Gunna Steelworks - Cola & Ginger (@NLi10) @gunnadrinks @holland_barrett
30 December 2020
Sour Cream & Black Pepper Popcorn (The British Popcorn Co.) By @SpectreUK
For snacking I do love black pepper flavoured crisps, but I’m used to having sea salt and black pepper flavoured crisps, rather than Sour Cream & Black Pepper Popcorn. I’m not all that keen on sour cream either. I generally try to avoid it when it’s put in front of me as a dipping sauce, although I don’t mind it with chopped chives so much. So I’m intrigued to find out what sour cream tastes like with black pepper instead.
On opening the packet there was mainly a sour cream and popcorn smell with a very mild black pepper and a little saltiness. On taste these Sour Cream & Black Pepper Popcorn were primarily sour cream with a very very mild hint of black pepper that is hardly noticeable. So if you like sour cream and popcorn; these are for you, however if you prefer black pepper flavoured snacks like me then these Sour Cream & Black Pepper Popcorn probably aren’t for you either!
Information on the packet; The 30g bag contains 2 servings at 82 calories each, with 5.8g of fat, 0.4g of sugar, and 0.17g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.
29 December 2020
Cadbury Dairy Milk - Little Robins (Asda) By @Cinabar
So yes we had some of these Cadbury Dairy Milk Little Robins catching up on some of the Christmas specials on the TV that we recorded, Ghosts is surprisingly silly and funny. We enjoyed the chocolate and I tried not to pause and think about how they looked just like Easter Mini Creme Eggs but without the fondant filling.
28 December 2020
Snickers 99Kcal Chocolate Snack Bars (Tesco) By @Cinabar
I did however just eat one bar with a cup of coffee this afternoon so I think I have the upper hand, so long as nobody counts the calories of the slice of Yule log I had after my dinner. I am not officially calories counting until January as I still have Christmas goodies to eat! The bar was nice, it tasted like a Snickers, there was still a decent amount of nuts and it had all the right flavours. My problem is that is just looked so small and disappointing, all I kept thinking is I’d rather have a couple of Celebrations sweets which I think is about the same calories but is psychologically a nice treat having two wrapped sweets. I can’t explain that but some how this just felt like a weirdly shrunken bar. I bought the Mars version for spectre to try, looking forward to his opinion!
27 December 2020
Calyx Zobo - Grape & Hibiscus (bsaically Alcohol free Mulled Wine) @NLi10 @calyxdrinks
26 December 2020
Traditional Mead (Lyme Bay Winery @LBWdrinksltd) By @SpectreUK
It says on the back of the flagon that mead is thought to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages dating back to Babylonian times. I do love any kind of booze made with honey. This 14.5% volume Traditional Mead won Great Taste Gold in 2013. I generally have mead wine around this time of year as it's spices and sweetness warms me up, and complements a good strong cheese meal. However, my new bottle of Rhubarb Mead Wine will be cracked open in early Spring 2021, as it's Spring and Summer fruity flavours are enough alone to bring on the sunshine.
On opening this flagon of Traditional Mead there was a good strong smell of spiced honey and a touch of alcohol behind it. This deep brown mead tasted of strong, rich and sweet honey and light spices. The spices certainly warmed me up after a walk outside this afternoon fighting against the brewing storm. This Traditional Mead tastes so good, I'm wishing the flagon was ten times bigger. I could quite happily drink it all night, but I reckon I'd be plastered after a couple of glasses. Have a lovely Boxing Day evening!
25 December 2020
Chocolate Buck’s Fizz Candles (Waitrose) By @Cinabar
These are a Heston item but aren’t too weirdly flavoured. They are pretty to look at and topped with an almond flamer. The coating is a creamy white chocolate and the filling is a bucks fizz truffle. I assumed it would have been an orange with champagne and white chocolate flavour but the dominant taste was dark chocolate with a hint of booze and touch of orange. The flavour could have been so much more zingy with the orange but essentially It was mainly dark chocolate, not an ingredient in a Bucks Fizz at all. The flavours worked but I’m not sure they quite did the Bucks Fizz part for me. Ah well, still tasty. Merry Christmas everyone!
24 December 2020
Colgate Smile For Good - Vegan Ecological Toothpaste (@NLi10)
Well - it's the time of year for overindulgence - so I figured I'd share something a little different that I picked up a few months ago on an online shop.
While I think that some of this is very deliberate psychological branding (like putting gluten free on things that never normally contain gluten anyway) it's good to see the ideas behind it and the commitment to sustainability from Colgate. But at £5 a tube we are currently paying for the privilege.
Pack looks good though, simple, can separate it down for recycling easy enough - and importantly wash it out. Shouldn't need to squish it against the wall to get the last out.
23 December 2020
Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles (Sainsbury’s) By @SpectreUK
On the evening of last Christmas I had a pork belly roast with crackling on top served to me. It was just about the best thing I've ever tasted on Christmas day, and the leftovers took me a couple of days to get through afterwards. Of course there has to be ubiquitous roast potatoes, sprouts and other veggies, but also my favourite accompaniment has to be Pigs in Blankets on the side. I usually have quite a few too!
This Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles was produced for Sainsbury's. I can't tell whether Cinabar bought me the pot for a joke or not. What seems to be even more funny is the Vegetarian friendly sign on the front of the pot. So no meat in here then? However, I endeavour to persevere when I'm served up something like this to write about. I've already had a bacon sandwich for lunch, so I'll have a quick piece of buttered toast, which should go well with my quick Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles.
On pealing back the foil top there was a pile of dried stringy noodles and some herbs dotted around them in the pot. After pouring freshly boiled water into the pot and having a really good stir, I could smell the sage and parsley mixed in with the gravy. I couldn't detect any meaty flavours, such as bacon or sausage in the flavour of this Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles. It was tasty enough and after that good long stir the sauce become quite thick.
This was a filling and flavoursome noodle pot, but to me it just didn't taste of Pigs in Blankets at all. I'm not going to tell you Porkies, and say it did, because to me it didn't! Anyway the best news is that there is a pork belly roast in the freezer ready to cook for Christmas Day 2020, and I've also seen some trays of real Pigs in Blankets in the freezer too!
Have a very Merry, healthy and safe Christmas, One and All!
Information on the pot; The 80g pot contains 294 calories, with 2g of fat, 9.9g of sugar and 1.87g of salt. Vegetarian friendly! Please see photograph for the ingredients.
22 December 2020
Pigs In Blankets Mayonnaise (Sainsbury's) By @Cinabar
As it happened we were having chicken, salad and sliced potatoes for tea so deiced to try this out on the side. I sort of realised as I was dipping my sliced potatoes in the Pigs In Blankets Mayonnaise I had accidentally recreated the crisps idea, but again it did work. I have tried ‘Baconnaise’ before and enjoyed it, I have to admit I thought this might be the same. I was pleased that although similar there was a softer flavour, less salty but still nice and meaty Tate that worked well as mayo. The twist of herbs was good too, and especially nice for potatoes and I’m looking forward to trying it with chips. I’d buy this again as it was a good flavour, I’m aware I many have to wait a year to find another tub!
Tomorrow though Spectre is reviewing another product flavoured with Pigs In Blankets, one that doesn’t so easily translate to the flavour.
21 December 2020
Greggs Festive Fabulous Bakes (Iceland) By @Cinabar
The first thing I noticed about these Greggs Festive Fabulous Bakes is that the meat inside the bake is chicken not turkey, I like chicken but if you are going to go for festive theming I fell this was a missed opportunity. Everyone knows it is turkey at Christmas. The bake itself though was still lovely and tasty. The pasty was soft and crispy with a a nice buttery edge. The flavours inside were good, the chicken was moist, the bacon was a nice touch and I loved the herbs giving a stuffing like flavour. I’d happily have these Greggs Festive Fabulous Bakes again and keep some in the freezer for quick lunches, there isn’t really any need for the ‘festive’ label it is just a nice chicken roast dinner flavour in a bake.
20 December 2020
Krispy Kreme Khristmas 2020 (@NLi10)
It's a Christmas tradition at this point to get hold of this years festive variations of the Krispy Kreme, partly to see if they've run out of ideas yet - and partly because we love these things.
19 December 2020
Greene King Ice Breaker Pale Ale (Waitrose) By @SpectreUK
On opening the 330ml bottle of this 4.5% volume pale ale there was a definite fruitiness coupled with a floral herbal hoppy bitterness, and a hint of sweet pale malt at the back of the aroma. On taste this deep golden coloured Ice Breaker starts with a smooth almost creamy quality, I presume this creaminess resembles the "Ice". This is quickly followed by a sharp bitter herbal hoppy flavour which I presume is the "Breaker". That sharp herbal bite merges with fruity flavours and then mixes perfectly well with the sweet pale and possibly crystal malts which travel into the aftertaste.
Ice Breaker is indeed a well thought out and innovative craft pale ale. It's a credit to Greene King Brewery, and the Master Brewer and not forgetting the Apprentices. They should be very proud of what they have created here. I feel the Apprentices will be the Master's very soon indeed!
18 December 2020
Tony’s Chocolonely - Dark Mint Candy Cane Chocolate (Sainsbury's) By @Cinabar
I broke a piece off the Tony’s Chocolonely Dark Mint Candy Cane bar, which was easier said than done. This chocolate is seriously chunky! The chocolate is a 51% dark chocolate, so the cocoa is rich and dark but the chocolate is still sweet. There is peppermint candy cane scattered throughout the bar, and it adds a decent amount of peppermint and crunch but honestly as a mint fan I would have liked more. Due to the distribution of bits some bites of chocolate were wonderfully minty others were too mild. For me though the biggest problem with the bar, the thing that would stop me buying it again, is the size of the pieces. The chocolate is too thick, it is annoying to break off and not fun to chew on, if it was half the thickness it might not look so amazing but I would enjoy it a lot more!
17 December 2020
(Home) Cinema Snacks - Tesco & Cofresh Shells, Grills & Chips (@NLi10)
And while these were picked up especially we already had this scrunched up bag of chips - but not like the Americans - oh no!
16 December 2020
Christmas Pudding McVitie’s Digestives (Asda) By @SpectreUK
On opening the packet of these Christmas Pudding McVitie's Digestives they look pretty much just like any other chocolate biscuit. There is a slight fruitiness in the chocolate digestive aroma on pealing back the wrapper. There is the usual digestive biscuit crunchiness on first bite, and then the smooth and creamy milk chocolate coating mixes in with the taste. There is then a fruitiness and a warming touch of cinnamon spice in the flavour. I'm not sure if these Christmas Pudding McVitie's Digestives taste of a Christmas Pudding per se, but I certainly received a good dose of fruitiness, such as fruit cake flavours and a touch of cinnamon spice at the end of every crunchy chocolate biscuit.
These Christmas Pudding McVitie's Digestives are very moreish indeed and definitely taste of Christmas. They are very flavoursome biscuits and I'd certainly have them again. I ate the packet over three nights and didn't share one of them with anyone! Ha…! The first night I had a few biscuits with a mug of tea. The second night I had some more biscuits dipping them in creamy vanilla ice cream, which was pretty much food of the Gods. The next night I had them with a pint of Titanic Plum Porter. Mmm… now that's Christmas!
Information on the packet; Each 14.7g biscuit contains 73 calories, with 3.4g of fat, 4.1g of sugars, and 0.1g of salt. Please see photograph for ingredients.
15 December 2020
Christmas Hot Chocolate (Whittard) By @Cinabar
This new Christmas Hot Chocolate from Whittard this year is flavoured with nutmeg, cinnamon and spiced plum which sounded like a winning combination to me.
I made the drink with hot milk and it mixed up easily. Some of the Whittard milk chocolate drinks are quite strong and almost taste like dark chocolate but the fruit flavour from the plum sweetened the drink and helped make it taste softer. It was quite different but worked well. The cinnamon and nutmeg were a delight too, they added a warming spice and it was a nice Winter touch to the drink. It might be expensive hot chocolate but the drinks from Whittard really are quality, this Christmas Hot Chocolate is no exception. All I need is to get some additions for the drink of whipped cream, marshmallows and then stick a Christmas movie on for the full effect.
14 December 2020
Heston Night Before Christmas Mince Pies (Waitrose) By @Cinabar
Inside the box are six pies, they are quite large and don’t quite look like tradition mince pies, they are covered over in pastry, and are flatter than usual. There was also a sachet of smoked sugar, I don’t how that fits into the Christmas Eve theme, Santa in a smokey chimney perhaps? I started by opening that and sprinkling it on, the smell was a little too strong of smoke for my liking but I was trying to buy into the moment.
Thankfully the sugar didn’t add too much smoke to the flavour, the pastry is thick but sweet and tasty. The mince meat came with a hit of sherry and was delicious, there was a delicate bitter edge which I think was carrot and these worked. Mainly because the smoked sugar wasn’t too strong! Heston I apologise for doubting you, this one was a success. You made it sound exciting but didn’t really mess with the traditional flavours too much and this worked for me. I would actually buy them again!